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Early Career in STEM Education R&D

Early career can take on a variety of meanings within the NSF research and development community. For example, NSF targets junior faculty as one early career population in the CAREER program solicitation. Yet many other new PIs and co-PIs may also consider themselves to be early in their careers. For the purposes of this Spotlight, CADRE is purposefully NOT limiting the definition of early career. Rather, we hope this Spotlight and related resources are helpful to all of our community members who self-identify as early career professionals, or who work closely with them.

GENERAL EARLY CAREER RESOURCES

CADRE Early Career Guide: Tips for Early Career STEM Education Researchers

The CADRE Early Career Guide offers advice from experienced DR K-12 awardees on becoming a successful researcher in the field of STEM education, including:

The guide also profiles a support program, the CADRE Fellows, for doctoral students in STEM education research.

Early Career Researchers and Developers in the DR K–12 Program: Needs, Supports, and Recommendations

This CADRE brief identifies needs, supports and recommendations for early career researchers and developers in the DR K-12 program, as well as in the broader field of STEM education R&D. This brief explores early career and veteran perspectives related to the following questions: 1. What topics and types of supports for professional growth do early career researchers and developers need and receive? 2. To what extent have sources of support proven helpful for early career professional growth, and how? 3. How might the support and professional development of early career researchers and developers be improved?

The IES Pathways to the Education Sciences Research Training Program aims to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the scientific community by providing an introduction to education research and scientific methods, meaningful opportunities to participate in education research studies, professional development, and mentoring that lead to doctoral study. Find funded programs that support Pathways Fellows.

Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)NSF's CAREER Program supports "junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations."

2017 NSF CAREER Program Webinar OpportunitiesOn May 26 and June 1, 2017, NSF EHR hosted informational webinars on the CAREER Program. View the recording.

2016 NSF CAREER Program Informational WebinarOn Tuesday, March 15, 2016, CADRE hosted the 2016 NSF CAREER Program Informational Webinar. This webinar was led by NSF PO Karen King. The presenters–Michelle Cirillo, Melissa Luna, and Bill Zahner–are current CAREER awardees who give their perspectives on preparing a CAREER proposal and leading STEM Education projects as first-time PIs. View the slides.

2015 Webinar Recording: Perspectives from DR K-12 CAREER grant awardeesIn this webinar led by NSF PO Karen King, CAREER grant awardees Alicia Alonzo, Tina Grotzer, and Gloriana Gonzalez Rivera share their experiences as first-time PIs on both preparing their proposals and leading their projects. View the slides and recording. If applying, you are encouraged to read the current NSF CAREER solicitation (includes the description of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)) and FAQs.

Tips for Working with Graduate Students and AdvisorsOn January 18, 2017, DR K-12 CAREER awardees met virtually with a former CAREER awardee to discuss working with graduate students and advisors. These notes capture the highlights from their conversation and offer tips for other NSF grantees.

DR K-12 CAREER PROJECTS

2016 Videos Featuring DR K-12 CAREER ProjectsFeatured in the 2016 NSF STEM For All Video Showcase, these 3-minute videos are an engaging way to learn about early childhood work funded by the National Science Foundation's DR K-12 Program.

CADRE Fellows Program

Each year, CADRE selects 10 Fellows to participate in a year-long early career program. The Fellows meet in-person or virtually each month to learn about topics such as academic and non-academic career pathways, writing and publishing, networking, and proposal writing. At the end of the year, they are invited to participate in a mock review panel at NSF.

Learn more about the Fellows program and our current and past Fellows.

This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant # 0822241, 1449550, and 1650648. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.